Patent Battle Over Generic Versions Of Gilead HIV Drug Settled
September 13, 2022
Morning Briefing
Five drugmakers had proposed generic versions of Gilead’s HIV and hepatitis B drugs and are now licensed to sell them from around 2031 onward. Also in the news: Medicare advantage star ratings, and more.
‘Not Quite on Board’: Parents Proving a Tough Sell on Covid Vax for Teens
By Jenny Gold and Samantha Young
November 2, 2021
KFF Health News Original
California offers a lens on the challenges officials face in persuading parents to embrace covid shots for young children. While the state has a strong showing in overall vaccination rates, just 59% of kids 12 to 17 — eligible for a shot since May — are fully vaccinated.
This Dental Device Was Sold to Fix Patients’ Jaws. Lawsuits Claim It Wrecked Their Teeth.
By Brett Kelman and Anna Werner, CBS News
March 1, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A dental device called AGGA has been used on about 10,000 patients without FDA approval or proof that it works. In lawsuits, patients report irreparable harm. The AGGA’s inventor and manufacturer have denied all liability in court.
White House: It Could Take $7B To Combat Monkeypox
July 27, 2022
Morning Briefing
The nearly $7 billion estimate was presented to President Joe Biden as one of a number of different options to fund federal mitigation efforts. Meanwhile, the U.S. now has more monkeypox cases than anywhere else, and the first case in a pregnant woman has been reported.
America’s Obesity Epidemic Threatens Effectiveness of Any COVID Vaccine
By Sarah Varney
August 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Vaccines engineered to protect the public from influenza, hepatitis B, tetanus and rabies are less effective for obese people, leaving them more vulnerable to serious illness. As scientists race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, experts say obesity could prove an impediment — a sobering prospect for a nation in which nearly half of all adults are obese.
Lady Gaga and J.Lo Sell ‘Well’ Building Seal, But It’s a Payday, Not a PSA
By Michael McAuliff
May 26, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A company sees the pandemic as an opportunity to push its ‘Well’ seal. It would like the indoor wellness logo to become as ubiquitous as the LEED green building halo — and make a profit, too.
Hospital Executive Charged In $1.4B Rural Hospital Billing Scheme
By Lauren Weber and Barbara Feder Ostrov
June 30, 2020
KFF Health News Original
In an investigation last year, KHN detailed the rise and fall of Miami businessman Jorge A. Perez’s rural hospital empire, which spanned eight states and encompassed half of the rural hospital bankruptcies in 2019.
US Will Spend Over $2B To Back White House Biomanufacturing Plan
September 15, 2022
Morning Briefing
The plan, outlined with new details Wednesday, is about expanding drug manufacturing capabilities in the U.S., with an eye on future pandemic responses. Meanwhile, Roll Call notes “pandemic fatigue” may threaten funding efforts in the battle against monkeypox. The polio outbreak is also reported.
Study Predicts Over 50% More Deaths From Liver Cancer By 2040
October 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
Analysis suggests cases of Hepatitis B and C, more alcohol usage, higher body weight, and more diabetes will be to blame. Separately, a slight drop in food poisonings from salmonella and listeria is reported, but pandemic restrictions are thought to have played a part in the fall.
‘Injections, Injections, Injections’: Troubling Questions Follow Closure of Sprawling Pain Clinic Chain
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Jenny Gold
February 22, 2022
KFF Health News Original
In May 2021, Lags Medical Centers, one of California’s largest chains of pain clinics, abruptly closed its doors amid a cloaked state investigation. Nine months later, patients are still in the dark about what happened with their care and to their bodies.
Many Health Plans Now Must Cover Full Cost of Expensive HIV Prevention Drugs
By Michelle Andrews
January 5, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Most private insurance will be required to cover drugs, like Truvada, that offer protection against HIV infection, without making plan members share the cost.
An Arm and a Leg: Attack of the Medicare Machines
By Dan Weissmann
April 10, 2024
Podcast
In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann tells a horror story. Instead of monsters and aliens, it’s about private health insurance companies and algorithms that call the shots on patient care.
Judge: HHS Must Restore Full 340B Drug Payments Until 2023
September 30, 2022
Morning Briefing
Modern Healthcare reports on a decision from District of Columbia Judge Rudolph Contreras, who found that a Health and Human Services Department lower reimbursement rate was “defective.” Meanwhile, Michigan joins efforts to crimp costs from contract travel nurses.
When False Information Goes Viral, COVID-19 Patient Groups Fight Back
By Alex Smith, KCUR
November 12, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Fear and uncertainty about the coronavirus have made online patient support groups fertile ground for the spread of misinformation. But some in these groups make fact-checking a part of the mission to support fellow COVID sufferers.
Court Reinstates Tennessee’s 6-Week Abortion Ban
June 29, 2022
Morning Briefing
As Indiana and Iowa also look to roll back abortion access, Wisconsin’s attorney general is challenging the state’s 173-year-old ban. And birth control and Plan B controversy takes root in Missouri.
Paying Billions for Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug? How About Funding This Instead?
By Judith Graham
July 6, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Aduhelm, approved by the Food and Drug Administration last month despite questions about its efficacy, could be prescribed to at least 1 million patients a year, for a price tag of about $56 billion. Experts suggest there might be better ways to spend that money.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: David vs. Goliath: How to Beat a Big Hospital in Small Claims Court
By Dan Weissmann
November 2, 2020
KFF Health News Original
In a classic — and hilarious — David vs. Goliath story, Jeffrey Fox takes on a huge hospital over an outrageous bill, and wins.
Pediatricians Want Kids to Be Part of COVID Vaccine Trials
By Arthur Allen
December 15, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Some years from now, infants and school-aged children will probably be the mainstay of a universal vaccination program against COVID-19 in the United States. But first, doctors want to be sure that newfangled vaccines won’t harm them.
California Counties ‘Flying the Plane as We Build It’ in a Plodding Vaccine Rollout
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
January 14, 2021
KFF Health News Original
In California, the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history is run largely by the same overworked and underfunded local health departments tasked with covid-19 testing and contact tracing. It’s a daunting undertaking as the pandemic continues to surge.
In Unusual Move, EU Blocks $7B Merger Of 2 American Biotech Firms
September 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
A U.S. judge had already approved the merger of Illumina, headquartered in San Diego, and Grail, which is based in Menlo Park, California. The European Union says the deal would stifle innovation in an emerging market for early cancer-detection blood tests, The Wall Street Journal reported.